Tuesday, April 03, 2007

According to a lifestyle study conducted by the Maltese organisation
Agenzija Sedqa in collaboration with the National Focal Point for Drugs and
Drug Addiction and the national commission on the abuse of drugs, alcohol
and other dependencies, online gambling usage is relatively low. Just under
60 percent of respondents aged between 18 and 24 admitted to having played
the lottery, betted or gambled at least once in their lifetime. Another 54
percent admitted to having played lotto, Super 5, Scratch cards and Keno at
least once while another 6.2 percent said they play weekly or almost weekly.
Just over two percent said they gambled online.
Sedqa operations director Jean-Claude Cardona explained that Sedqa carried
out the study, the results of which will be officially published at a later
date, in 2006 in which 1 226 students aged between 18 and 24 took part.
Despite the low percentage usage of Internet gambling indicated by the poll,
Cardona singled the pastime out, saying "Internet gambling is easily
accessible and there are no physical deterrents that might put a person off
gambling," he said. All the possible deterrents - such as getting ready to
go to the casino, being over 25, and actually driving to the location - are
all eliminated with Internet gambling, said Cardona. "All a person has to do
is sit at his computer and access the site, putting him at a higher risk of
becoming asocial." Another Sedqa official, service manager Manwel Mangani
pointed out that one of the great advantages of Internet gambling is
anonymity. "There still seems to be a stigma - some people still feel
uncomfortable being seen walking into a casino," he said. Internet gambling
appeals to the solitary type and people who are somewhat anti-social,
Mangani added. Cardona pointed out that care has to be taken as the latest
forms of entertainment are isolating people. "Experts predict that gambling
will eventually be done through interaction with television," he said. The
Sedqa official was critical of advertising for international poker
tournaments, pointing out that, unfortunately, several local and foreign
television stations are publicising this aspect of gambling. "Although the
adverts are shown quite late - they are still there," said Cardona, adding,
"even though people cannot actually bet on the stakes in question, they
still become involved in the game." Sedqa is using the media for its own
campaigns, Cardona revealed. "Sedqa is working hard to increase awareness on
gambling addiction through information campaigns," he said.

He was critical of the registration system to gamble online, claiming it to
be "not very reliable."

"I have heard of cases where young people steal their parents' credit cards
and gamble online," he said.

Malta is one of a number of international online gambling regulators that
makes its license available to online gambling operators through the LGA,
and Cardona said that Sedqa is calling for more regulations especially where
online gambling is concerned.

"The government has recently approved our request to provide and train one
social worker who will focus solely on helping gamblers overcome their
addiction while providing support to their families," he said.

Fellow Sedqa official Mangani said that many online gambling sites offer
links to sites that offer online counselling and help for a gambling
addiction. "The same medium can be used to reach out to addicts," he said.
"In fact there are many websites that offer online counselling and although
it is still too early to say if these are effective, at least they are
there," he explained.

In collaboration with the UK problem gambling organisation Gamcare, there
are plans for Sedqa to organise professional training for counsellors and
social workers, probably during April this year.

Mangani is of the opinion that online gambling addiction is very similar to
alcohol addiction. "A sober alcoholic lives in a society that bombards him
or her with information and adverts on alcohol yet they still manage.
Similarly, it does not mean that someone who has an online gambling problem
will not be able to access the Internet for the rest of his or her life," he
added.

Mangani said the family is closely involved in the treatment, which places
great emphasis on group work. "Gamblers Anonymous provides a great service
and we refer a lot of clients to them, although it operates independently of
Sedqa," he added.

The more difficult operating situation for online gambling owners in the USA
following the UIGEA is creating more online gambling action in Europe,
Mangani says.

"Several online casinos that were based in countries like Barbados have
closed and are trying to open in Europe. It is very tempting for governments
to use it as a source of revenue," he explained. "[Last year] online
gambling generated Lm12.5 million in revenue for the Maltese government and
this is expected to go up to Lm18 million this year.

The weekend's Malta Online Independent added substance to the Sedqa survey
by reporting that two new factors could see more online gambling operators
gravitating to Malta and applying for licensing with the LGA. The newspaper
referred to the disappointment generated among online gambling firms by the
high taxation regime announced in the UK budget recently by Chancellor of
the Exchequer Gordon Brown, pointing out that this may make Malta a more
attractive option. The second development the newspaper highlighted was
dissatisfaction among Czech companies with the confusing and slow
legislative progress and protectionist nature of the gambling scene in their
home country.